5 credit cards with welcome bonuses of 50,000 points or more, so you can get a head start on your warm-weather travel plans

• Credit card welcome bonuses of 50,000 points or more can get you a free round-trip flight, several hotel nights, or more, depending on how you use them.
• While most credit card bonuses have minimum purchase requirements to earn, the payoff can be worth a thousand dollars or more.
• If you're going to sign up for a new credit card anyway, make sure to shop around for the best bonuses so you get as many rewards as possible.
• See Business Insider's list of the best travel rewards credit cards »

Most people choose a rewards credit card that will help them earn miles or points for a favorite travel brand or program. Earning miles and points for each purchase can lead to huge value, and many rewards credit cards also offer new cardholders an intro bonus that could get you a free flight, hotel night, or more.

Here's a look at seven of the best bonuses that can get you 50,000 points or more.

If you want even higher welcome offers, be sure to check out Business Insider's list of the best credit card offers for 100,000 points or more. Business Insider also regularly updates this list of the best credit card welcome offers currently available - keep that page bookmarked if you want to see what limited-time bonuses are currently running.

Keep in mind that we're focusing on the rewards and perks that make these credit cards great options, not things like interest rates and late fees, which will far outweigh the value of any points or miles. It's important to practice financial discipline when using credit cards by paying your balances in full each month, making payments on time, and only spending what you can afford to pay back.

The best credit card offers for 50,000 points or more:

• 60,000 points (after you spend $4k in the first 3 months): Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
• 50,000 miles (after you spend $3k in the first 3 months): Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card
• 50,000 points (after you spend $4k in the first 3 months): Chase Sapphire Reserve
• 60,000 points (after you spend $5k in the first 3 months): The Platinum Card® from American Express
• Up to 65,000 miles (40k after you spend $2k in the first 3 months, and 25k after you spend $10k in the first six months): United Explorer Card

1. Chase Sapphire Preferred: 60,000 points

One of the best bonuses right now will earn you 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points. The Sapphire Preferred card, which charges a $95 annual fee, currently features a bonus of 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months. That's conservatively worth $750 toward free and discounted travel when you use those points to book through Chase's Ultimate Rewards travel portal.

The Sapphire Preferred card earns 2 points per dollar on dining and travel purchases, 5 points per dollar on Lyft purchases, and 1 point per dollar everywhere else. You can redeem points for 1.25 cents each on most major airlines and hotels through the Chase website. You can also transfer Ultimate Rewards points to a list of travel partners for potentially more value per point.

Click here to learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred card »

2. Capital One Venture card: 50,000 miles

The Venture card from Capital One offers 50,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months. The card charges a $95 annual fee, which is waived the first year. Capital One miles are worth 1 cent each when you use them to offset travel purchases, which makes the Venture card's bonus worth $500. However, transfer partners can make these points more valuable in some cases.

With this card, you earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase with no limits. Capital One makes these among the easiest travel reward miles to redeem with its Purchase Eraser tool. Just make any travel purchase with the card like usual, then log into Capital One to reimburse yourself for the purchase with miles. It essentially wipes the purchase off of your statement so you never have to pay.

Click here to learn more about the Capital One Venture card »

3. Chase Sapphire Reserve: 50,000 points

The ultra-premium Chase Sapphire Reserve card now charges a $550 annual fee (recently increased from $450) and features a 50,000-point bonus after $4,000 in purchases in the first three months. The bonus isn't as good as the 60,000-point offer on lower-tier Sapphire Preferred, but points are worth 1.5 cents each when you redeem through Chase with the premium version instead of 1.25 cents. That makes the bonus worth at least $750 toward travel.

It includes airport lounge access, a $300 statement credit on travel purchases, and extensive travel benefits and protections. You'll earn 3 points per dollar on travel and dining purchases, and 10 points per dollar on Lyft rides. Newly announced benefits include complimentary memberships to Lyft and DoorDash that offer discounts and additional benefits with those services.

Click here to learn more about the Chase Sapphire Reserve »

4. American Express Platinum: 60,000 points

The Platinum Card from American Express offers 60,000 points after $5,000 in purchases in the first three months. It charges a $550 annual fee, which includes access to a wide array of airport lounges, elite status with Hilton and Marriott, and other premium travel benefits. Amex points are worth about 2 cents each, according to The Points Guy, which makes this bonus worth $1,200.

The Amex Platinum card earns 5 Membership Rewards points per dollar on flights booked directly with airlines or American Express Travel as well as 5x on prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com. It gives you 1 point per dollar everywhere else.

Click here to learn more about the Amex Platinum card »

5. United Explorer card: 65,000 miles (limited-time offer)

For a limited time, the United Explorer card is running an increased sign-up offer of up to 65,000 United bonus miles. You'll get 40,000 miles after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first three months and another 25,000 after spending a total of $10,000 on the card in the first six months. United recently moved away from its fixed award chart, but 60,000 miles is roughly enough for a round-trip award flight to Europe.

The card is great for regular travelers on United. It gives you 2 miles per dollar for purchases at United, restaurants, and hotels. You get 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases. Benefits include a first bag checked free, 2 United Club one-time passes per year, priority boarding, 25% back on in-flight purchases, and more. It charges a $95 annual fee, but it's waived the first year.

Click here to learn more about the United Explorer card »

Don't let a bonus go to waste

If you don't typically spend enough to reach the bonus, consider making a few future purchases early to get over the hurdle. Stocking up on non-perishable groceries, household items, or even a gift card for a favorite airline or restaurant that you know you'll use in the future could get you over the line to earn your bonus.

Once it's in your account, it's up to you to decide how to put it to the best use. Whether you're jetting off for an adventure, kicking back at a relaxing hotel, or want to take the family on an extra trip to visit grandma and grandpa, miles and points make it all a lot more affordable. Just remember to pay your balance in full each month, because interest fees will more than cancel out the value of any rewards you earn.

See Business Insider's list of the best credit card offers for 100,000 points or more »

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Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.